Vacuum breaker for flushometers



May 28, 1940. D. AQ GILLEN VACUUM BREAKER FOR FLUSHOMETERS Filed Feb. 9,1939 EYS m TU vN v Mn I A d mm a. j M

WITNESSES Patented May 28, 1949 VACUUM BREAKER FOR FLUSHOMETERS DanielA. Grillen, Flushing, N. Y.

Application February 9, 1939, Serial No. 255,442

6 Ciaims.

This invention relates to Vacuum` breakers for lushometers, and has foran object to provide a construction which may be used in the tailpieceof the ilushometer or' in the fiushometer itself.

Another object is to provide a construction which will automaticallyfunction to break any vacuum in the stand pipe supplying water to ailushometer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum breaker whichis used in connection with iiushometers and which automatically closeswhen the water is passing through the flushometer and automaticallyopens after the water has passed.

An additional and more specific object of the invention is to provide avacuum breaker which may be applied to the iiushometer itself or to anypipe between the iiushometer andV the fiush bowl with the structure soformed as to quickly close as the water iiows andquickly open after thewater has passed so as to immediately provide air froma point exteriorof the ushometer to a point interior thereof, thus presenting anautomatic means for supplying air through the iiushometer to. the standpipe whenever the flushometer is opened by suction from the stand pipe.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. l is a perspective view oi aiiushometer, toilet bowl, and associated parts, together with a vacuumbreaker embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View partly in elevation and partly in sectionillustrating an embodiment of the vacuum breaker in the lushometertailpiece;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through Fig. 2 approximately on the line 3 3;

Fig. l is a View partly in section and partly in elevation of aflushometer and illustrating the invention applied directly to theushonieter.

In large buildings and elsewhere a stand pipe or water supply pipe isprovided for supplying water to the toilets, wash bowls, etc. in thebuildings. vided a valve l which is known as a iiushometer because whenit is operated it will iiush the toilet bowl and alloviT a certainamount oi water to pass and then automatically close. As long as thestand pipe or water supply pipe to the iushometer is provided with waterLinder pressure, the iiushometerV will. remain closed unless openedmanually. However, sometimes where there is a nre or for some othercause, a stand pipe in a building is deprived of water andas the Waterrecedes in the stand pipe a certain amount nmost buildings atpresentthere is piooi rareaction will be produced and this rareaction orsuction will cause the various flushometers in the building to open andallow air to pass from the various toilet bowls into the stand pipe. Iiany of the toilet bowls are contaminated, germs will pass in the air andwill contaminate the stand pipe so that when water is again supplied thewater will be contaminated. These stand pipes are not only connectedwith flush bowls but with wash basins and even with valves from whichdrinking Water isv drawn.

To obviate the entrance of germs from foul flush bowls, the vacuumbreaker embodying the invention has-been provided and arranged as shownin the accompanying drawing, so that immediately upon the slightestopening yof the flushometer i, by reason of rarefaction in the standpipe, clean air from the room will pass into the stand pipe. If theentire building is provided with devices embodying the' invention, thesedevices will vautomatically function as the water lowers from floor tofloor. If there should be iteen iiushometers on a given door, therewould be fteen vacuum breakers'and, consequently, fresh air from theroom will be supplied to the stand pipe through flfteenvacuum breakers,whereby little or none of the foul air from the bowls can enter thestand pipe. This eliminates or reduces to a minimum the chances of germsentering the stand pipe and spreading disease germs to the drinkingwater or washing water.

As illustrated in Figsf'l to 3, the vacuum breaker 2, which embodies theinvention, is shown applied to the flushometer tail-piece 3, which isnothing more than a tube having a flange 4 clamped to the iiushometer lby a suitable nut lin applying the vacuum breaker 2, it is onlynecessary to drillv two holes, namely, holes ii and l', and then placethe vacuum breakerin position. The vacuum breaker 2 is formed with whatmay be termed a body 9 whichI is really a T- shaped tubular structurehaving a threaded opening lil discharging into the passageway Il, whichin turn-dischargesy intov passageways i2 and i3, which latterpassageways are enlarged.

The passageways i E and i3 are formed by what may betermed tubularextensions I4 and l5.y Thimbles or hollow bushings it and il are fittedintothese tubular extensions and have. heads it and i9 pressed againstthe outer surface of the tail-piece 3. As clearly illustrated in Fig. 2,each of these thimbles has a passageway 2i) eX- tending entirelytherethrough and discharging into the chambers or passageways l2 andi.In

constructing the device the thimbles or bushings I6 and I'I are intendedto fit very tightly within the passageways I2 and I3 and, in fact, tohave a substantially driving fit. The flanges or heads I8 and I9 arealso pressed tightly against the tail-piece 3. Usually the tail-piece 3with the thimbles I6 and I'I partly forced into position are placed in apress and the parts pressed firmly together so that they will bearranged as shown in Fig. 2. The threaded opening II) faceslongitudinally of the tail-piece 3 in a direction away from theflushometer I. 'I'he tubular member 2| is screwed into the opening IBand is provided with a passageway 22 merging into an enlarged chamber 23having a valve seat 24. An elongated cap 25 is threaded on to thetubular member 2l,

as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with an aperture 26 in the bottom. Awire mesh screen 21 is arranged to cover the opening 26 and immediatelyabove the Wire mesh screen is a pin 2B on which the head 29 of a valve3H normally rests. This valve is provided with flattened sides 3D sothat air may readily pass around the valve when it is in open position.Preferably the valve has a very loose fit in the chamber 23 so air willnot only pass along the flattened parts 30' but around the entire valve.'Ihe valve 3Il fits loosely in the chamber 23 and is provided with abeveled end 3|, which iits against the seat 24 when the valve member israised by the pressure of water entering the opening or aperture 26. Inthis way the water is prevented from passing into the passageway 3| andeventually out through the passageways 2li.

In operation normally the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2.When the handle 32 of the flushometer is actuated a certain volume ofwater will quickly pass into and through the tail-piece 3 for flushingthe toilet bowl 33. This volume of water will produce a pressure in thetailpiece 3 and, consequently, some of the water will pass throughaperture 26 and raise the valve 30 for closing the same. As soon as allthe water has flowed past the vacuum breaker 2, the weight of the valve39 will cause the same to automatically move downwardly to the positionshown in Fig. 3, whereby air from the room may pass into` the tail-piece3 through passageways 20, passageway 22, chamber 23, and aperture 26.

By means of the structure just described, no water can pass outwardlythrough the passageways Ztl, but clean air from the room may quicklypass into and fill the interior of the tail-piece 3 so that thistail-piece is always provided with clean air and this clean air isrenewed any time the iiushometer is caused to function.

In case the water in the supply stand pipe falls below the flushometer,there will be produced a certain rarefaction. This will open theflushometer I and immediately air in the tail-piece will flow throughthe iiushometer into the stand pipe and fresh new air will pass inthrough passageways and associated passageways. In this way clean air issupplied through each iiushorneter whenever the ushometers on any flooropen by reason of rarefaction in the stand pipe.

Instead of arranging the vacuum breaker as shown in Fig. 2 in thetail-piece 3, the vacuum breaker could be arrangedin the dependingportion SLi of the flushometer I, as shown in Fig. 4. Aside from thisnew arrangement or new position, the structure in Fig. 4 is identicalwith that shown in Fig. 2 and, therefore, will need no additionaldescription. Incidentally, it will be readily seen that easy access maybe had to the vacuum breaker whether arranged as shown in Fig. 2 or asshown in Fig. 4.

As no water passes through the vacuum breaker, it will be readily seenthat it will function for many years without getting out of order asnothing but clean air passes therethrough.

I claim:

1. A vacuum breaker for flushometers, comprising a supporting bodyhaving a passageway therethrough and a threaded opening intermediate theends of the passageway, a hollow bushing snugly fitting into each end ofsaid passageway for connecting the supporting body to a support, and avalve carried by said body adapted to move under the action of gravityto an open position and under the action of water pressure to a closedposition, said valve having a hollow casing open at both ends, one endbeing exteriorly threaded, the threaded end being screwed into saidthreaded opening, a gravity actuated valve member loosely positioned insaid casing, and means carried by the casing for supporting said valvemember when spaced from its seat.

2. A vacuum breaker comprising a tubular body having a threaded outletintermediate its ends, a tubular member having one end screwed into saidoutlet, said tubular member having a valve seat, a valve memberpositioned in said tubular member and adapted when in one position toclose said tubular member, means for normally supporting said valvemember in an open position, and tubular bushings snugly tting into theends of said body for securing' said body to a tubular structure throughwhich water is adapted to pass.

3. A vacuum breaker comprising a tubular body having a passagewayentirely therethrough and a right-angle passageway merging into thefirst-mentioned passageway, a pair of friction held thimbles extendinginto the respective ends of said body for holding the body infunctioning position, each of said thimbles having a passagewayextending entirely therethrough, a tubular member formed with a valveseat, a valve loosely fitted in said tubular member and adapted to bemoved to a position against said valve seat, a cap carried by saidtubular member having an aperture therein, and a pin carried by said capfor holding the valve member away from said aperture whereby when saidvalve member is resting on said pin air may pass freely through saidthimbles, said body, said tubular member and said aperture.

4. A vacuum breaker adapted to be installed in the tail-piece of aflushometer, a pair of tubular thimbles extending through the side wallsof said tail-piece, a tubular body supported by said thimbles, and avalve for regulating the passage of air through said body into saidtail-piece, said Valve being gravity actuated.

5. A vacuum breaker including a pair of supporting hollow bushings, atubular body having its ends snugly fitting over said bushings so as tobe supported thereby, said body having a threaded aperture, a valvecasing formed with a seat having one end screwed into said threadedaperture and a valve member in said casing adapted to engage said seatfor closing communication between points exterior of thevtubular bodyand points interior thereof.

6. The combination with the tail-piece of a fiushometer having alignedapertures, a tubular headed thimble extending through each of saidapertures to points interior of the tail-piece, a tubular bodytelescopically fitted over those parts threaded on to said tubular meansand extending below the same', said cap having an aperture at the endfarthest from said tubular member, a screen arranged interiorly of` saidcap covering said aperture, and a supporting member arranged interiorlyof said screen, said supporting member acting to support said Valve whenin an open position.

DANIEL A. GILLEN.

